I don't know how long this will last on e.Bay, or whether these daily deals expire in one day or continue until the seller runs out.
This is for the die hard radio fans like me, who aren't ready to say goodbye to portable short wave radios. The Grundig G5 has been replaced by the considerably more expensive G3, which probably accounts for the low price. Judging by the reviews (both expert and consumer) it seems to be the best choice in a tiny all purpose radio at it's normal $100 price. I've never seen it priced this low before. I was surprised to read that it supposedly outperforms most of the old standbys. I used to collect this type of radio and believe me, if the G5 is even the equal of, for example, the S.ony 2010 or any of the S.ony 7600 models, that would make it a great choice.
luvGnuLinux said: does anyone know whether this is like a world radio, it says shortwave so does it mean i can pickup signals from around the world.Yes, in my opinion that's its main purpose. If you don't want shortwave, there' no reason to get this radio. I think everyone should have a shortwave radio in their home. You never know when it might come in handy...you know, in case it comes down to who's got the most guns, water, and ammunition .
luvGnuLinux said: does anyone know whether this is like a world radio, it says shortwave so does it mean i can pickup signals from around the world. In theory, you can. In practice, whether you can pick up a signal depends greatly on your antenna.
A cheap, middling quality shortwave radio, hooked up to a good outdoor antenna, will typically far "outreceive" a great shortwave radio being used with an attached 3 or 4 foot telescoping antenna.
Of course, if the broadcast's sufficiently powerful and/or directed at you and/or atmospheric conditions are favoriable, even a terrible antenna may be sufficient.
thirddowndraw said: Can you get the weather bands on these?
I think that NOAA weather radio broadcasts on around 162.4 or 162.5Mhz. I clicked on the link to this deal, and glanced at the description, which didn't seem to include the appropriate band. But perhaps I just didn't notice it, or the description happened to leave it out.
I've been a licensed ham for decades (currently hold a General class ticket), but my only shortwave radio these days is a Grundig Yacht Boy 400, and it's been months since I've given it a listen. If I'm at my desk, and want to listen to, say, the BBC World Service (signal no longer directed at N. America, but still pretty easy to pick up in many parts of the USA) or to Radio Netherlands, it's easier to do so via the Internet, than on the Grundig.
If I were in the African bush, or if civilization had fallen last Tuesday, I'd probably make more use of shortwave. But in suburban Maryland, in the absence of a major disaster, it's not really at the top of my list of communications options. (I do, however, keep a cheap, tiny Kaiwa KA-989 as part of my emergency kit. Some years back I stumbled upon an opportunity to purchase these radios for, like, $8.95 each. So I bought a dozen of them, gave away 11 as minor gifts, and kept one for myself.) -- Michael
No, this radio will not receive the weather stations, which if memory serves are on the VHF band. Very few shortwave radios receive the VHF band. I've had a couple that do and their VHF performance was pitiful.
By the way, I have a ham radio license, too (Extra license, when passing a 20wpm morse code test was obligatory), but have been totally inactive for many years.
If you're serious about shortwave ("world") radio and are willing to spend more, the best way, in my opinion, is to find a used ham radio transceiver (legal for non-hams, but only to receive). The last time I looked they were readily available in the $300 range. Don't know if that's changed, though. I always liked ICOM transceivers. Even an old, cheap transceiver will easily outperform all but the most expensive shortwave radios.
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